Antigone Creon Tragic Hero

Tragic Hero Essay

“With great power comes great responsibility.” - Ben Parker. A tragic hero is a character that makes a mistake that leads to their own downfall. In “Antigone”, Creon is the tragic hero. Creon is the tragic hero because he realizes that he made an irreversible mistake, he is born into nobility, and he is responsible for his own fate.

To start off with, Creon is a tragic hero because he realized that he made an irreversible mistake. Creon realizes that he made a horrible mistake after he locked Antigone up in the cave. Antigone fearlessly states, “It is hard to deny the heart, But I will do it: I will not fight with destiny.” (Sophocles, 783). After sending Antigone to her death in a tomb in the woods, Creon felt guilty about it. He knew that the right thing to do was let her go, but he was too selfish and too focused on being respected that he ended up killing his own niece. Creon realizes he made an irreversible mistake towards the end of the story when his family commits suicide. Creon remorsefully proclaims, “I alone am guilty, I know it, and I say it. Lead me in.” (Sophocles, 788). The irreversible mistake was sentencing Antigone to death. If

Creon is responsible for his own fate when his family kills themselves. Creon sorrowfully exclaims, “Fate has brought all my pride to a thought of dust.” (Sophocles, 789). Creon’s fate is his own fault because he made bad mistakes leading to his death. Creon is responsible for his own fate when Haimon kills himself because Antigone killed herself. Creon miserably states, “Haimon my son, so young, so young to die. I was a fool, not you, and you died for me.” (Sophocles, 787). Haimon had killed himself because Antigone had killed herself. The fate of Creon is his own fault because his family killed themselves over his mistakes. Creon made many mistakes that made him responsible for his own fate, making him a tragic